


Imagine If...

by Ailec_12



Series: Anatomy of a Home [4]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Family Feels, Gen, One Shot Collection, Sister-Sister Relationship, lots of introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2020-06-03 13:47:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19465270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ailec_12/pseuds/Ailec_12
Summary: Collection of vignettes happening either inOf Heroes and LoveorOf Forgiveness and Hopethat I could not fit in the main story. It will be specified at the beginning where in the series timeline they take place. They will mostly be Zelena-centric.





	1. The Bed

**Author's Note:**

> Inspiration struck last night and I knew exactly what I wanted to write. I hope you enjoy this little piece that's basically an excuse to write some Zelena angst. I look forward to reading your thoughts on it!  
> Set after [Chapter Two](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19334215/chapters/46214344) in _Of Heroes and Love_.

The bed had been the first thing that Zelena had noticed. Big enough for two people, it had drawn her blue eyes faster than anything else. As Regina talked, she had noted the bedroom itself was more spacious than a single person would need, too.

_Only her bedchamber at the Oz palace was more luxurious. The cursed place had never felt truly hers, though, so she guessed just the farmhouse stood for a fair comparison. Never her old home —there was nothing fair about it._

She had not known what to expect when Regina had led her away from the sheriff’s station. There should have been a trap, if not a cell, at the end of their trip. However, she was currently failing to see any. Of course, she was still a prisoner under her sister’s thumb, but she had yet to figure out the brunette’s ulterior motives for unnecessarily offering her such a lavish room. The bed was soft, the colours were nice. She had new clothes —probably Regina’s old spares and, for that, she would rather not wear them, but eventually she would have little choice in the matter. Even the bathroom was over the top and the brunette had invited her to have a hot shower whenever she wished. Instant hot water had to be the best thing about this world.

_Zelena remembered bitterly those scarce moments when she had been able to warm water for a bath, all the while fearing her father would find her and get angry for wasting wood. Cold swept in most of her childhood memories. The farmhouse was old and poorly insulated, but at least she had had her own room there and a decent bed. The shack had been so small that she had slept in a bedroll filled with straw in a corner of the main room. And, although she had been grateful for sleeping close to the hearth, she was only allowed to keep the fire roaring in the coldest nights._

Regina’s home had also got a hearth, but the place was always warm and Zelena wondered if they ever lit it up. Even the bedroom floor was far from being either hard or cool, she observed with a wry smile. It was covered by wall-to-wall carpeting and she could walk around barefoot without worrying about stepping on a splinter. She did just that, tracing her fingers lazily along the lines of the vanity. It conjured in her mind the stinging memory of claiming similar furniture in the Evil Queen’s castle. When she had looked in that mirror, she had been as powerful as she had been green. At present, her reflection was pale and tired and so pathetic that she had to rein in the impulse to shatter the damn thing along with the memory.

_There had been a small mirror —or rather, a fragment of one— back home. Young Zelena had secretly liked to look at herself in it. Later, she had destroyed all the mirrors in the Oz palace. That weakness had been long overcome by the time she had landed in Storybrooke and, still, it was a relief not to see the green in the mirror any more._

She sat on the bed, closing her eyes to enjoy the silky feeling of the duvet. At once, she opened them, startled. She had finally figured it out. Regina gave her scraps of her life and, in return, she kept her foe on a leash. All of a sudden, the ginger did not know why she had ever thought the dominant pastel colours were nice —they were as plain and boring as her captivity had proven to be so far. And the sandwich she had eaten earlier had been disgusting —its flavour was too strong and its bread did not taste like real bread. She had told the brunette she would not be their pet and it was a promise she intended to keep. As long as she had her guard up, the leash could be severed.

_She was neither cold nor hungry, though, so it was a bit more difficult than she would have liked to cling to resentment at the moment. Besides, there were still plenty of questions that lacked an easy answer. For starters, she had not got the faintest clue why she had not been left in that tiny cell for longer, where the hard mattress had almost felt like home._


	2. Wicked and Unredeemable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set towards the end of [Chapter Fourteen](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19334215/chapters/48228928) in _Of Heroes and Love_. Originally written in December 2015.  
> This was born out of one of my friend Mary's headcanons, so thanks a lot for it!

"How wouldn't I? It's the only thing that allows to swallow what you call a meal."

Those words had an echo. Immediately after they were out, Zelena knew where she had heard them before: from her father. At once, she saw his scruffy face and his perpetual frown. A scold that deepened whenever he looked at her.

A part of her was deeply disgusted with herself. That sort of bitterness was absolutely out of place at that table, at that house. No matter what she was feeling, she could not make her reasons sound righteous when Henry sat across her. And yet, another part, darker and more twisted, was delighted, relishing the fact. Of course, a moment later it became obvious that there was hardly anything to relish.

Regina did not shrink back as young Zelena used to. No terrified apologies fell from her lips. No, she did what the redhead wished she had had the bravery to do back in Oz. Regina stood up, strong and in control. She bit back and Zelena was still the one who had done wrong.

As she climbed up the stairs back to her bedroom, disgust at herself was winning. Not only was she wicked and unredeemable —now, she was also not better than her father.


	3. The Halloween Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set at the beginning of [Chapter Two](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20466899/chapters/48692498) in _Of Forgiveness and Hope_. Originally written in December 2015.  
> Let me know what you think.

Zelena had gone to bed early. She just wanted to sleep and stop thinking for a while. She wanted to fade into oblivion and, at the same time, she did not.

Even though it possibly looked that way, she was not upset with Regina. She understood the other woman wanted to go to the party with her family. Suddenly, it had turned out much more difficult to blame the brunette for those things that still made her jealous.

Stupidly, she just wanted to be able to go, too. She knew it was not possible, she just... wished it was. But her situation was so different from Regina's that she doubted it would be feasible someday.

The former Queen had saved Snow White's life when they had first met. Thus, in a way, Snow had a reason for wanting to help her enemy to be better —to go back to the person she used to be. And Regina had also brought up Henry, so it was natural for the boy to love and care for his mother. In short, the people who had offered her sister a second chance had strong motives to do so —and their motives had actually been strong enough to convince the townspeople to give their mayor another chance, too.

But Zelena? She had done nothing for Regina. She had only been offered a second chance because of the kindness her sister had in her heart. There had been no such reasoning for her decision, as the ginger had never promised to change, let alone express any regrets. And, since not even Zelena herself could find logic in Regina’s behaviour, she was positive she would never be accepted by the rest. She was not sure when the last point had started to matter.

She clutched the pillow tighter, wishing not to cry. She closed her eyes and a sob came out anyway.

She was pathetic, she knew it. It was just a stupid party. (But it was not because of the party, she knew that as well. It was because she could never go to any.) It was not like it was the first time she was left out. And at least that time she had people around who cared for what happened to her. They could simply not do anything about that particular topic.

It was the best chance she had ever been offered. Still, she had always hoped life would feel good. And, right now, it did not feel that way. Perhaps Regina was wrong after all and Zelena was really not destined to have anything else.


	4. Green Traces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Henry is a Gift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set before Robin and Roland's visit ([Chapter Two](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20466899/chapters/48692498) in _Of Forgiveness and Hope_ ), that is, end of October/beginning of November.  
> Originally written in 2017. I should've posted this one shortly after the second chapter, but I completely forgot about its existence. Hope you enjoy the belated reading and, as always, I'm looking forward to knowing what you think!

Regina almost missed her sister entering the kitchen. The redhead was usually barefoot around the house and moved with the stealthiness of a stray cat. As always, she hesitated at the doorway for a moment, though, and it gave her away.

The former Queen put the last plates on the table and gestured towards it, inviting Zelena to join her for breakfast. Once they were both sitting, Regina took a good look at the other woman.

She was dressed casually and her hair was down and slightly damp. The brunette knew she had been taking a shower —she had heard water running when she got out of her bedroom. For being a peasant all her life, her sister surely took advantage of modern plumbing and not having to pay water bills.

On the other hand, her expression was unreadable. She was serious and did not seem willing to engage in conversation. She looked completely lost in thought. Only two things came to mind currently capable of souring the redhead’s mood so thoroughly: Cora —or Oz or their past in general— and the green spot that, stubborn as the Mills women, refused to just go away.

Regina really, really did not want to bring up Cora so early on what could still be a perfectly unremarkable day.

Still, she was supposed to be the one to help Zelena get through things. Holding back a sigh, the brunette steeled herself to take the first step. She cleared her throat, catching her sister’s attention at once.

“So, how is it going? It’s been a while since you’ve let me see it.”

She did not need to specify what ‘it’ was. In fact, as long as she left the word ‘green’ out, the issue could even be considered a safe topic. Most days, it did not fail to brighten the redhead just the littlest bit. It was proof that things could get better.

Zelena must have been more distracted than normal, though, since her question elicited neither a positive reaction nor a negative one. The brunette hardly received a glance for her trouble.

“Fine,” was the rather aloof answer.

Her sister kept eating as if nothing were wrong. Regina was a little taken aback, but decided not to push. Maybe it was only a bad day. It would pass.

* * *

For the next few days, Zelena continued offering just vague answers to her sister’s questions. She could see the puzzlement on her face as her brown eyes tried to figure her out. ‘Good luck with that,’ she wanted to snap with a bitter smile. Deep down, however, she knew it would not be too long before the other woman started to demand real answers. If only they were prettier, she often thought, sighing.

The redhead was standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom. She could not bring herself to look away, even though all she wanted to do was smash her reflection there. Her eyes filled with tears and it only increased her anger.

Truthfully, the spot was not very big. It was hardly bigger than her little finger. Yet, for some time it had not become any smaller, either. It was too bright... too green. And it was as good as wearing the word ‘wicked’ tattooed on her skin.

She closed her eyes, lifting her hand to muffle a sob that could no longer be contained. No tears accompanied it, though. It was early in the morning, but she had run out of them hours ago.

She had no wish to see Regina right then. For a moment, she indulged the possibility of skipping breakfast, but she finally ruled it out. That could end up even worse.

Letting out another sigh, she steeled herself and watched in the mirror her blue eyes, successfully devoid of any emotion. It could not be so terrible, she just had to keep doing as she had for the past days.

She went downstairs, following the familiar sound of clattering in the kitchen. She knew it was only Regina. Henry was supposed to have been staying, but he had been gone after dinner the previous night all of a sudden. It gave her an unexpected bad feeling. How had it not occurred to her that her sister may have planned something? She was tempted to go back upstairs, but she could not know whether the brunette had heard her already. And so, she just kept moving on, carrying with her a heavy weight in the pit of her stomach.

Regina greeted her as soon as she saw her. The brunette seemed serious and, no matter how hard Zelena looked at her, her intentions could not be found on her face. So the redhead just greeted her back, trying to keep an undecipherable mask herself.

There were no attempts at small talk during breakfast and it relaxed the redhead somehow. However, as they were finishing, her sister finally asked the dreaded question, with an even worse twist.

“How’s the spot going today? Is there something wrong with it? You’ve been awfully quiet for days.”

Zelena could not hide the look of absolute horror that crossed her features. She regained her composure almost at once, but it was useless —Regina had already seen it. The brunette frowned a little, although she waited for her reply.

“If you don’t want my answer, don’t ask, then,” the ginger snapped, trying to look as disinterested as possible. On the inside, though, she was starting to panic.

“I want an honest answer, sis,” Regina retorted as she rolled her eyes.

Zelena felt she had had enough —besides, she could not give her sister what she wanted. She got up, collecting her plate, determined to say no more. However, once her back was facing the brunette, a sudden venomous impulse made her speak up.

“You seemed so sure of yourself that day, saying it would disappear. If you truly believed it, why would you keep asking?”

The younger woman started to protest at once, but it fell on deaf ears. The redhead turned around again, tightly gripping the dish in an effort to control her rage. She wondered why she should, though. For the time being, her previous fear and any other weak feelings were forgotten and it felt good.

“Don’t think you can treat me like your little experiment, Regina. I may not belong here, but I won’t be someone you can use to prove yourself that change is possible.”

Up until that moment, she had been able to keep all her emotions but anger at bay. Only when she closed her mouth did she realise her eyes were beginning to sting more than they should.

On her part, Regina was stunned and seemingly unable to react for a few seconds. She just stared at the redhead as if she was trying to figure out what language had just been spoken. Zelena knew better, though. She could almost see the wheels turning in her head, trying and failing to come up with yet another excuse.

“Are you crazy?” she blurted out at last. “Why the hell would you think you’re here to be my guinea pig?”

‘Because I don’t know what else I’ve been brought here for,’ the former witch thought right away. Tears welled up in her eyes that time, so she turned around to hide them. She was about to storm out of the kitchen, not minding what her sister would think of her, when two very different sounds made her stop in her tracks.

“Zelena!”

The strong, angry yell made her flinch. She may not have stopped even then, but the room filled with the sound of porcelain cracking. She looked down at the broken dish in her hands. For a moment, she was sure of having done that. For a moment, she was once again just a little girl whose magic got out of control when she was scared. She waited for more shouts to come, but she could only register silence. At once, she remembered she no longer had her magic powers.

Very slowly, she turned towards the table, where Regina stood up. Her face was frozen between rage and shock and her mouth was half open. Had Zelena maybe waited for a moment, an apology would have fallen from it. However, the brunette closed it as soon as blue eyes fell on her. She could not come up with a suitable answer fast enough.

All of a sudden, the redhead was tempted to throw the dish in Regina’s face. After a second of hard staring, she just let it fall to the floor, where it broke into even more pieces. Then, she finally stormed out, not caring if that time the brunette’s magic hit her directly.

* * *

Only when Zelena got to her bedroom did she realise she was shaking. Whether it was out of fear, rage or both, she did not want to stop to think about it. She sat down on her bed, quickly wiping off the tears that had started to fall.

Truthfully, she was surprised at how stupid she could be. She had managed to anger Regina without having to explain what was upsetting her so much in the first place. She wondered what the former Queen would do next. Would she forbid Zelena from going out of her room? Would she consider throwing her out after all? The redhead was inclined to think she would not. If she had not got rid of her when she had tried to escape or when she had snapped in front of Henry... In any case, all she could do was wait. She had never learnt what the punishments for her actions were in that house.

She heard Regina’s footsteps going from one place to another, but she never knocked on her door.

Zelena’s temper deflated eventually, being replaced for all those feelings she would rather not have so often. Her sister must have been even angrier than she to ignore her for so long. Yet, it was not the first time they had had an argument. She knew Regina would come at lunchtime, when she was sure they had both cooled off. The brunette seemed to have a unique gift to make her feel like a coward, because Zelena decided she had better wait.

Yet, when the clock struck half past twelve, nothing had changed. It made the ginger restless. She was also tired of pacing her room up and down. Perhaps being the bigger person for once would not be so bad. Bearing that thought in mind, she got out.

Downstairs, it was deadly silent. The day was cloudy, too, and Zelena thought it made everything look darker as well. It was not the ominous quiet what stopped her, though. She froze on the spot when she reached the kitchen. On the table, there was a lonely sandwich as well as some salad covered by a plastic film. She gulped, knowing at once it was meant for her.

That was new. At the beginning, if their argument had been too recent or too strong and Regina felt no desire to eat with her, she would still bring the food to her room or send a tray by magic. She had never ignored her up to that point, she realised. She felt silly by how deeply she let it affect her. She chided herself, because Regina’s real treason had been to build her hopes up. She was probably just bitter at Zelena for finding it out. The redhead should not want her company, either.

For some reason, it all sounded weak and false to her own ears. A stronger voice whispered worse theories to her (words about rejection and how she _should have known_ ) and stopped her from believing her feeble reassurances. She tried to shake off those thoughts forcefully. If there had been drastic consequences, they would have been immediate, too.

She felt eating in the kitchen was too exposing, but she did not feel like leaving the food untouched —for once, she did not want to make the situation worse. After some hesitation, she put it on a tray herself and went upstairs. She ate quietly in her room, listening to the silent house, waiting for something to change. The front door had not been opened, so Regina was still in the house, either in her office or in her bedroom.

Soon, Zelena was lost in thought. For a moment, she did not even remember why they had argued. Then, their words came to her and a hand flew to the spot on her skin unconsciously. She also remembered how understanding Regina had seemed that night she had first seen it. The redhead had tried really hard to believe her sister did not harbour hidden intentions. It turned out an impossible task when she unsuccessfully sought an explanation to why the green would not disappear as she had been promised.

She had done nothing wrong. She had no magic, she had tried not to snap at Regina —until that day, anyway— and she had shown her best self around Henry.

Tears flooded her eyes again when the answer she refused to entertain revealed itself once again. It was not going to go away. It could not. Wickedness would be with her for as long as she lived. And Regina had been wrong —or lying. It was not Zelena who owed an apology that time. For a fleeting instant, she almost managed to convince herself of that.

* * *

His mother had kept him away for a whole day under the pretext that she needed to talk about a delicate subject with Zelena. Henry did not know what it was yet, but he guessed it had not gone very well when he came back home the following morning. Of course, neither of the women had said anything, but it was easy to feel the tension at breakfast. His mother had tried to focus on him, completely ignoring her sister, and the redhead ignored them both. There were no jokes at the table and it felt awkward to even talk about his plans for the day.

When they finished eating, he saw Zelena glancing up at Regina briefly. She seemed to hesitate to say something, but it lasted less than a second. At once her face became undecipherable again and she got up, left her dish in the sink and went away without so much as a word.

He shifted his gaze to his mother, who rolled her eyes at her sister’s back. Henry felt like rolling his at both of them. Not even Roland got so childish.

He helped Regina do the dishes and took advantage of being alone with her to try to obtain some answers.

“What’s going on between you and her?” he blurted out as he took a plate from the brunette to dry it.

Brown eyes went wide open. She had not been expecting the question or, at least, the bluntness of it.

“Nothing,” she said once she regained her composure. “We had a little argument yesterday, that’s all.”

‘Bullshit’ was the first word that came to Henry’s mind upon hearing his mother’s words, but he had the good sense not to say it out loud. He knew she did not want to lie to him, but sometimes she downplayed the situation so that he would not worry. The rationality of that thought did not make it any easier to go along with it.

“It had to be more than little if you’re not talking to each other,” he retorted, stubborn.

He dried the last thing, a pan, avoiding looking her in the eye. As soon as he put down the cloth, she came closer and lifted his chin gently with a finger. She barely had to crouch down anymore. Feeling her touch, his frown relaxed a little.

“It’ll be okay. Once we cool off, everything will be back to normal,” she assured. He appreciated her attempt, but deep down in her brown eyes, he could see hints of doubt.

He looked down again. He hated when people he cared for argued. Truthfully, he was afraid they would never make up. Yet, his mother’s strength never failed to inspire trust and he was determined to make an effort to believe her.

They spent the morning out, buying clothes and other stuff. It had been a while since they had been able to enjoy themselves outdoors and it felt good. Regina also bought him some sweets under the condition of eating them after lunch. Reminiscence made them a little nostalgic but mostly happy and they came back home shortly before noon.

In contrast, lunch was another tense affair. That time, however, Henry was ready for it and noticed the subtlest gestures. While neither Zelena nor Regina would interact with one another or even look each other in the eye, their body language was not aggressive. The redhead was carefully aloof in her moves, but he could almost have sworn there was certain sadness in her cast-down eyes. Regina was being even more difficult to read, if that was possible. Henry caught his mother glancing at Zelena several times, but she did not look upset or reproachful. He was not used to seeing the Mills sisters being cautious, but there was no other word to define their tentativeness. He could not even guess whose fault their fight had been. He was tempted to conclude that perhaps it was no one’s.

It was starting to intrigue him more than either of the women could have known.

After putting away the leftovers, he left his mother finishing tidying up the kitchen and went to the living room. There, he was shocked to find Zelena on an armchair, reading. He tried not to show his surprise, though. Giving her the feeling that she was not expected there might offend her. And he needed her. He had thought he would have more time to think about the best way to approach his aunt, but that would have to do.

As always for a short while now, he doubted about how to address her. He took a page from Emma’s book and uttered a soft ‘Hey’ as he plopped down on the couch. Zelena looked up sharply and Henry would have thought he had spooked her if her face had mirrored her sudden move.

He wondered if that would be her reaction in the case he decided to call her ‘aunt’ —a slight start accompanied by an emotionless face. He may have the bravery to find it out some day. For now, he was happy enough having accepted that he did think of Zelena as his aunt. The woman lived with them and his mother had acknowledged her as her sister from the beginning. Those were the arguments he would have used had anyone shown suspicion of his enthusiasm to have the Wicked Witch on the role of the cool aunt.

“Hi,” she muttered in response.

Her voice did not sound threatening, but Henry had to stop himself from flinching under her piercing gaze. Instead, he frowned and fixed his own hazel eyes on her.

“What’s up between you and Mom?” he asked with no hesitation.

Zelena looked taken aback by his question and could not hide it completely. She sometimes got shocked by being asked the most obvious things. Henry had to admit he was a little confused by it. The redhead had once conducted herself so powerfully and confidently that it was hard to believe any of his questions could frighten her.

She did no answer right away. And when she did, her mask was back in place.

“Hasn’t she told you about my latest wrongdoing?”

Her voice was cold and detached, but he tried not to back down.

“Was it your fault? Mom doesn’t look angry.” It was true —neither looked particularly upset with the other.

He must have hit the nail on the head, because that time the ginger faltered quite visibly. Her eyes opened wider and her lips formed an ‘o’ despite no sound coming out. She was not able to regain her composure at once and words did not come to her quickly, either.

“Why wouldn’t you think it was?” Her voice was much softer and her question caught Henry by surprise in return.

Before he could find the answer, Regina entered the room and they both turned to her.

“I’m going upstairs to put away the clothes we bought earlier,” she said to her son. He caught the hidden message as clearly as if she had stated it plainly: should anything happen, she would be just upstairs.

On the one hand, he really thought there was no need for such caution. On the other, he could not help feeling grateful and relieved for his mother’s protection. He nodded and Regina fixed her steel gaze on her sister. Zelena held her eyes and it would have been good news they were looking at each other again if it were not because they also looked quite willing to murder one another on the spot.

Eventually, though, Regina had to break eye contact and go upstairs. When Henry and his aunt were alone once more, the boy thought the redhead looked worn out. More and more, he doubted neither of the women held a grudge against the other. However, they were also too stubborn to admit something else than an argument could have them like that.

The boy was determined to help them.

“So, what happened?” he tried again.

Zelena looked at him upon hearing his question. That time, her eyes did not seem so cold.

“Why hasn’t your mother told you?” she asked in return, quite calmly.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “She doesn’t want me to worry about her problems. But I’m not a kid and I worry,” he added, just in case the ginger might agree with his mother.

Zelena crooked a little smile and did not answer immediately. Henry did not know whether she was having trouble finding the right words or a good excuse. He suspected the latter, so he stepped up without thinking twice.

“Let’s make a deal. Three races at Mario Kart. If I win, you have to tell me what really happened. If you do, I’ll stop asking.”

The former witch was surprised at first, but she considered his words. Henry was still the better of the two, but it was possible she would win two races out of three.

“Okay, let’s do it.”

She seemed less sure when she sat down next to him, so that they both were in front of the television. She did not manage to relax as they played and Henry was afraid she would get up and leave at any moment. Luckily for him, her pride would not yield so easily and she was still on her seat when Henry won the first race.

She was calmer during the second race, which she won narrowly. Her nephew knew that, with some more practice, she would make the best competitor very soon. They were about to start the third and last game when Regina came back. For a second, Henry wondered if they realised how ridiculous it was the fact that both of them froze upon seeing the other unexpectedly. At once, a new operation came to mind.

“Mom! Do you want to play?” he asked, putting on his best grin.

Although Zelena tensed at his side, she did not get up. The brunette hesitated, but her need for pretending normality won as the boy knew it would. She nodded and sat at his other side. Then, he shoved his controller into her hands and jumped on his feet.

“I need to go to the bathroom, but you can keep playing meanwhile.” He hesitated, because the word ‘aunt’ almost escaped from his lips. It was better one step at a time and now his priority was another. “We were in a tie and about to start a third race. You can have my player, Mom.” He grinned again, that time at Zelena, who looked too stunned to react.

Without another word, he went away before they could protest.

He started to climb up the stairs, but stopped midway and went back down in complete silence. No sound could be heard, either, as he came closer to the living room. He gulped, suddenly afraid he had messed things up. He almost sagged with relief when his mother spoke up.

“Shall we?”

“Do you really want to play?” came Zelena’s incredulous voice.

“What, sis? Afraid I’ll kick your ass?”

Henry smiled at his mother’s cleverness. Soon enough, he heard the sounds of the game. He considered it was safe to enter a while later, but stood at the doorway, not wanting to interrupt them.

There was a small chuckle from the redhead when Regina’s car slipped on the road. There was no wickedness in it, though, and the brunette only answered by trying to reach her. It was to no avail, because Zelena used one of the tricks her nephew had taught her and won the race quite easily. The brunette looked honestly taken aback when she put down the controller. Henry had not revealed yet how good the ginger had become at video games.

The silence that followed became more and more awkward as neither seemed willing to break it, so he chose to step forward and intervene.

“I’ve missed this.”

Both women turned to him, although they did not look truly surprised. Regina returned his smile slowly.

“It’s been nice,” she agreed.

Zelena simply looked as if she did not even know what emotion she should be showing. She put down the controller slowly and stayed there with her fingers intertwined. She was not going to offer her opinion unless she was forced to. Henry fixed his eyes on her.

“Don’t you agree?” he asked directly.

Her eyes opened slightly wider in response. She needed a whole second to process a reply.

“I guess.” She shrugged her shoulders to emphasize her apathy.

The boy wanted to roll his eyes in frustration. There was nothing, in either her voice or body language, that showed the feelings he insisted she truly harboured. He did not stop himself from huffing and plopped down next to his mother to show his unhappiness.

“Let’s play another round, yeah?” he proposed as he calmed down a bit.

He did not wait for an answer, but as he was reaching for another controller, Zelena jumped on her feet.

“I— I should... I’m going to take a shower.”

Henry did not bother to hide his disappointment as the redhead went away briskly. He wished he had when his mother’s expressive brown eyes clouded.

“Let’s do another thing, okay? Just you and me. Whatever you want,” she said, forcing a smile that did not manage to cheer him up.

“Mom...” He really had no idea how to fix the situation. He had been naïve for even thinking he could. “You don’t have to bribe me. It’ll be okay.” At least, he thought his voice sounded far more confident than his mother’s.

* * *

In the evening, Zelena climbed down the stairs very slowly. There were no sounds coming from the living room, but the lights were on, so Henry was probably there reading or doing his homework. She had heard cluttering in the kitchen, though, and had guessed Regina was ready to cook dinner.

She hesitated on the last step and, once again, at the kitchen door. After their fight the previous day, the brunette had only talked to her a few hours ago. Reflecting on it had made the redhead feel mostly uncomfortable, but some part of her was also relieved because the rift was not unfixable. Those two feelings compelled her to try to ease the atmosphere. If nothing else, she owed it to Henry.

Regina was cutting vegetables with her back facing the door. Zelena reminded herself that she was not necessarily being ignored —she had made no sound coming down, so the brunette had no reason to turn around. The ginger came in, clearing her throat, and gripped the door frame that was behind her as she waited for a reaction. The noise caught her sister’s attention and she was finally able to look her in the eye.

“Can I help?”

It was utterly annoying that her voice sounded like it belonged to a young girl rather than a grown woman. Her eyes studied Regina’s face intently, trying to figure out her reaction beforehand. There was barely any at all, though. She berated herself for acting so childishly. What was she expecting after having accused Regina of playing with her? A grateful, happy smile?

“Of course.”

The brunette moved onto another task and Zelena resumed cutting and washing vegetables. She did not know what else to say. To be honest, she was not very eager to break the silence. Since her sister let her have it for a few more minutes, the redhead thought they were on the same page. She was caught off guard when Regina shattered it abruptly.

“I want to know what the problem is,” she stated, making the other woman think right away that coming down had been a mistake. “Are you okay?”

Her question did not dispel Zelena’s doubts, because her sister sounded angry rather than concerned. The redhead stopped what she was doing and faced her trying not to show any feelings.

“What problem are you talking about? I’m fine.” Her own voice sounded far less sure than Regina’s and she lost all hope that the brunette would buy it.

“The problem with the spot. The reason why you got upset when I asked yesterday.”

She was not expecting that the brunette would beat about the bush, but her bluntness took her aback anyway. She put down the knife and stepped back. The sensible thing may have been go back upstairs and forget she ever came down. Yet, she found herself unable to leave and, also, unable to stay quiet. The real issue lay in the fact that she had not the slightest clue what to say.

She looked away and crossed her arms, trying to muster up the last remnants of her disdainful attitude. Her pretence was over before starting, though.

“It’s...” Her voice broke unexpectedly and forced her to speak softly instead. “It’s not getting any smaller.”

Tears prickled at her eyes and she had to restrain herself from rubbing them. Regina’s answer would be in the open at any moment. She would be disgusted or perhaps she would laugh at her stupidity, because deep down she also knew the green represented what Zelena was and would always be.

“Oh.” The brunette looked more shocked by the fact that she had got an answer than by the answer itself. She hurried to compose herself. “I imagined something along those lines,” she replied truthfully.

“You knew it, then,” stated Zelena.

There was no feeling of betrayal that time. It was the confirmation of her worst fear, yes, but it was not a surprise. It did not make the pain any duller, though. She did not think she could keep her tears at bay any longer. And it was all because she had decided to take a leap and come downstairs. She would truly never learn her lesson.

“What did I know? I knew something related to it was bothering you. There were two options: it had either stopped getting smaller or started growing again.” Regina’s voice was confident and calm and Zelena found herself taking a deep breath as the brunette kept talking. “Care to tell me how it happened?”

If some months ago someone had told her she was doing such a Herculean effort to keep herself from crying in front of Regina while at the same time refusing to just go away, she would surely have laughed in their face. However, it was exactly what was happening and she felt like she would faint at any second. Her brain finally reacted and she plopped down on the closest chair. She put her palms on the table and focused her blurry gaze there, too.

“You’ve been with me. I’ve done nothing wrong.”

She was almost challenging Regina to contradict her, but the mayor only sighed resignedly.

“I’m talking more about what’s crossing that... head of yours.”

Zelena let out a wet chuckle noticing her sister’s effort to avoid insulting her. That scarce merriment left her soon, though, and she shook her head, still not looking up.

“I don’t understand.”

“Maybe you’ve been getting anxious about it again and that’s why it doesn’t fade away.”

A glass of water suddenly appeared within Zelena’s line of vision and she gazed up, startled. She had been so focused on Regina’s relaxing voice that she had not heard her pouring some water. After a moment, she took the glass gratefully. It gave her something else to look at besides the table.

“Thank you,” she muttered, taking a sip straight away. Regina just nodded as she sat down as well.

She was calmer, so she gathered up her courage and looked the brunette in the eye. Her own eyes still stung and were probably red with unshed tears, but she could not bring herself to care much about it at the moment. Her sister did not press her for an answer, but she remained quiet waiting for one.

“Well, it’s not very nice to have a green spot on your skin, but I don’t think getting a bit restless about it is the reason why it doesn’t go away.” She had sounded harsher than she had intended. She bit her lip in order to shut herself up and looked away. She thought about what she really wanted to say. “Even you’re concerned. It represents more than just my current mood.” She was incapable of stating it more plainly and even that felt far too exposing.

Her skin crawled as Regina seemed to reflect on her answer.

“I’m concerned because it’s important for you. You know I don’t care what your skin looks like,” the brunette finally replied, a little taken aback.

“Of course it’s important. It’s not another skin colour, Regina. It appears for a reason,” she retorted, determined not to let her sister downplay it.

“Yes, it shows up because you get jealous. Only you can work on that, sis. Keep going on like you have until now, you were doing well. And if it doesn’t disappear, I promise I’ll lock up myself in my vault and find a solution.”

Zelena gaped, looking up. Her sister did not throw away promises easily. Besides, she had not even questioned the redhead’s capacity to work on her issues. The former witch could not find an answer to that, so she focused on the first part of the reply.

“It doesn’t show up because I _get_ jealous,” she said mockingly. She did not know when her confidence had returned. “It appears because I’m... Because of what I have inside,” she managed to explain as her cheeks felt hot all of a sudden.

“What do you think I have inside?” Regina asked abruptly.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

The brunette was not going to take any of her nonsense —she never had. Zelena had no idea what her sister expected to hear, though.

“I... I don’t know. Love for Henry?” she tried, her cheeks burning hotter.

Regina nodded, but waited for Zelena to go on. The redhead was too embarrassed and refused to say anything else but a faint ‘I don’t know’ again. The brunette sighed, although she did not look disappointed.

“Do you still think I’m evil and can’t change?” she asked.

The ginger shrugged. She knew what she honestly believed, but did not think she could put it into words. Sincerity and vulnerability felt like painful synonyms and their conversation had already drawn for far too long.

“I guess not,” she finally conceded. It was barely audible, but fortunately, Regina took it.

“Zelena, I don’t need you to prove change is possible because I already know it is. And once you realise the spot isn’t what’s stopping you from changing, you’ll know it, too.”

“But it reflects what I am. And it’s there even though I don’t have any magic. Like it doesn’t matter what I do, like...” She shut up when tears welled up in her eyes once again. She did not even notice she had covered the spot with her hand.

“No, it reflects what you’ve done or thought. You don’t have to live tied up to any of those things,” Regina replied firmly.

The redhead shifted on her chair uncomfortably, because she had believed the opposite for a very long time. She also stayed quiet, trying to assimilate that her sister had neither mocked her nor thought she was unredeemable.

Regina’s attitude towards her offered a painful contrast to every scenario, real or made up, that had crossed her mind lately. At once, the memory of her words the previous day rushed to her. She had strongly believed the former Queen was using her as many others had in her life. There had been no room for doubt. She glanced up and the sight of her sister made her appreciate the fact that the brunette had not only stopped cooking dinner, she had also sat with her and talked calmly and honestly to make her see reason.

It was not the first time, but she suddenly understood why it swelled her heart and brought tears to her eyes. All that time, from the very moment she had been offered a second chance, Regina had made an effort so that the redhead would feel like she mattered. Perhaps Glinda had been more explicit, giving her a role in her sisterhood. Yet, even if it had taken her long enough to realise, it was now she truly felt like she mattered to someone. She actually mattered enough in order for Regina to take her in, offer her chance after chance and soothe her doubts time and again.

She felt ashamed and, although she would have liked to blame it to her pathetic display of weakness, she knew better. She took a deep breath, trying to get a grip on herself. Their conversation was not finished just yet. She allowed herself to toy with the forgotten glass for a few more seconds.

“Why aren’t you angry?” she finally dared ask in a whisper.

“I was, remember? The whole day, actually,” Regina answered matter-of-factly. Her smirk was beginning to show. “But I found the silence too stifling and thought you’d agree. So I’d better find out what was going on under my roof.”

Zelena smiled up at her weakly. Others might have trouble discovering how to apologise, but she was struggling to decide how she could show her gratitude.

She breathed in again, sharply that time, and composed a full smile.

“Well, we’d better get dinner ready before Henry falls asleep.”

She also received a full smirk in return and they both got to work.

* * *

When they had dinner that night, Henry was delighted to find everything was back to normal. Whatever they had argued about, they had already made up —and without shouting, as he would half proudly, half teasingly say to his mother later on.

He and Zelena were left alone while Regina retrieved dessert and he noticed the mood change on the redhead, who had become doubtful once again.

“I owe you the truth, don’t I?” she said.

Her embarrassment and resignation were not what Henry sought. Besides, he could always ask his mother later.

“No, you won our deal. You won the third race,” he shrugged off, internally satisfied with Zelena’s shocked expression for being left off the hook so easily. “Besides, it appears to be old news now, doesn’t it?”

He grinned at his aunt, taking even more pleasure in her lack of reply because Regina had already come in.

He never got around to asking what the fuss had been about. When some time later his aunt told him the green spot had disappeared completely from her skin, he was clueless about its relation with the events of those days. At the moment, however, he did not really care. He was just happy someone had managed to fix whatever was wrong. And he was immensely proud that the person who had not allowed his family to break was his mother.


	5. Trying Chocolate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set between Chapters [Four](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20466899/chapters/49230446) and [Five](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20466899/chapters/49978691#workskin) in _Of Forgiveness and Hope_. Originally written in December 2015. I hope the present tense doesn't clash too badly with the rest of the work. I have most of these little pieces written like that on my phone, so later on I type them up in the past tense. I decided I liked this one better as it was, though.  
> As usual, it was written thanks to **Mary's prompt: "Do you have chocolate in Oz?"**

Maybe she should be surprised that, after all these months, Henry still asks things about Oz from time to time. Then again, perhaps it is not so shocking. Up until now, there has not been much time for questions, since saying their first months of living together were a bit rocky would be an understatement like no other. However, now that Thanksgiving has thankfully passed and Christmas is still far enough away that she can push the dreaded date to the back of her mind, they are enjoying a sort of calm hiatus. And Henry, of course, always has questions.

"Did you have chocolate in Oz?"

He seems to understand her past can be a touchy subject, but he also has this hopeful voice full of curiosity and Zelena always tries to answer as best as she can. Still, there are questions that simply have too many memories attached to them.

She pretends she is very interested in cutting the meat into pieces in order to get some extra time before replying. After a moment, she is able to force a smile on her face and look up. Henry's gaze is fixed on her. Regina's, too. Her sister also has that understanding frown that signals she is about to cut in the conversation, though. The redhead does not allow her to do so.

"Yes, they have some in the Emerald City."

"Did it taste differently from the one here?"

She should have known there would not be just one question. She runs her tongue across her lips briefly.

"Here I've just tasted chocolate ice cream. I don't... I can't compare."

"Oh, was it so different from the one in Oz?"

The boy is clearly confused and now he is frowning, too, because he does not understand. She is going to have to tell him, damn it, and she does not know if she will be able to without making a scene. She takes a deep breath and looks down at her plate again.

"No, I... I don’t know. I never ate chocolate in Oz." Her voice is barely above a whisper to prevent the others from hearing the slight tremor that is currently running through her body. She does not want to look up, but she is afraid she will burst into tears sooner rather than later if she does not.

The memories are just too strong. It is not the chocolate per se. She could not care less about sweets at this very moment. It is the reminder of their poverty, of her father spending what little money they had on alcohol. The reminder of the hunger that many nights accompanied her to bed.

It is also the reminder of the time she spent in the Emerald City, when she was so blinded by envy and revenge that she never fulfilled any of her childhood dreams, never thought of taking all the happiness and freedom the place had to offer. It is the reminder of Glinda as well...

She feels a weight on her hand and she flinches, hard. All the same, it manages to snap her out of her thoughts.

"Zelena, dear."

It is Regina, of course, who has reached out when the redhead has failed to answer the first time.

"It's okay," her little sister says, smiling, and she is the very person Zelena tried to take everything from.

She blushes, noticing that a heavy silence has fallen among them. It is her fault, she knows, and she only wants to go back to her room. Yet, Henry already said in their first dinner together getting up from the table before it was over was a very rude thing to do and she does not want to disappoint him any further.

Regina gives her hand a squeeze before letting it go. Desperately, she thinks of something to say, but nothing comes to mind.

"Well, I'm sure it couldn't beat Mom's chocolate cake," Henry blurts out suddenly. "I don't think you've missed anything."

Blue eyes jump up at him, wide open. Will they ever stop surprising her? She is starting to doubt it. The smile she sends in his direction is still a bit shaky, but completely honest.

"What do you say about baking one right after we finish eating?" asks her sister and her son is nodding earnestly a second later.

"It's late," the redhead mutters, because she is okay, it has merely been some unpleasant memories. She could not ask for anything other than what she has got right in front of her tonight, at the dinner table. Regina does not apparently care for her input, though, and replies with a light 'Nonsense.'

"Tomorrow's Saturday, sis," she continues. "And you haven't truly lived in this world if you haven't tasted chocolate."

She reflects on how her father always blamed her for everything that went wrong, for every little thing she required. How Glinda never really showed any interest in knowing more about her. She thinks about how she used to believe everything in Regina's life had been easy.

She had been terribly wrong. Not including her mother, Regina and Henry are the kindest people she has ever met. And they show her their kindness in so many ways that is overwhelming if she stops to analyse it. They have taken their time to explain everything about their world, whether it was trivial or important, and included her in each one of their traditions, making an obvious effort so that she feels comfortable. Regina had chosen to _take her in_ even after her little stunt of escaping through the window. As if that were not enough, now she can add to that list trying to make up to her for the things she did not have in her past, never mind neither of them had anything to do with it.

It is definitely not her fault that the smile she offers is shakier than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long wait. I'll try to have chapter 5 of OFaH ready by the end of the week.


	6. A Fourteen-Year-Old Woman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set during Zelena's childhood, although it is connected with a tidbit of information she reveals in [Chapter Six](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20466899/chapters/50389967) of _Of Forgiveness and Hope._  
>  Originally written in October 2015. It seems it was a birthday present for my friend Mary —don't worry, she enjoys angst as much as I do.

It was the tenth anniversary of her death. Zelena put down a small white flower on the stone that marked her grave.

She had not dared come down there until it was almost dark, even though she knew her father did not visit the tomb anymore. She had a blurry memory of coming with him on the first anniversary, when she was only five. That occasion had been the last time. Part of her was relieved, for she was certain she could not stand again the look of absolute hatred her father had sent in her direction back then —it was the only clear memory she had of that moment.

She kneeled down next to the grave and did nothing to stop the tears that ran down her cheeks, fast as wishing stars. Her father was not there and her mother had never been upset for such emotional displays.

She understood her father’s ire when Mother died —little Zelena had been angry, too. Could he not see, though, that she was doing her best to be the daughter her parents deserved?

Once again, she wished with all her might that Mother was there. She would know what to do: about her father's alcoholism, about her magic... About everything. Even though Zelena knew such wishes never came true —and even though she secretly thought she could love her magic if only she could control it—, she would renounce to anything just for things to return to normal.

She realised she had been daydreaming for quite some time. Night had already fallen. She needed to go back home and make dinner for her father. She needed to behave as the woman she was supposed to be and put on a good face.

However, as she glanced at the grave for the last time, she could not help wondering if this life was all she was meant to have.


	7. The Popcorn Prompt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It happens —or not— at some point between chapters [17](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20466899/chapters/53527420) and 20 in _Of Forgiveness and Hope_. This story is really old, written back in 2015, perhaps even prior to finishing _Of Heroes and Love_ , so I never took the sequel into account. It's up to you to decide if this silly thing actually happened or it's just a 'what-if.'  
> I don't remember exactly why I wrote it, on the doc it just says, "Mary's very detailed prompt," so there's that. Enjoy!

**Part I. At the Movies**

Regina said ‘See you later’ to Robin and hung up the phone. Unable to hide a big smile, she went to the living room, where Zelena and Henry were too focused on beating each other at some video game to even look up. She leant forward on the back of the couch, between their heads.

“You’d better save that game for later. We’ve gotta go,” she announced, taking the two of them by surprise.

Their brief loss of focus caused that Zelena’s player managed to hit Henry’s and, immediately, a flashing ‘Game over’ showed up on the screen.

“Mooom!” her boy whined, at the same time that her sister let out a small, happy cry. At once, she seemed to remember herself —and probably her actual age, too— and covered her mouth with her hand. She looked up, trying to assume an innocent look, and Regina rolled her eyes. If it were not for Robin, she would sometimes think her family consisted only of children.

“Where are we going?” Henry asked, putting the controller down with a defeated sigh —a touch too dramatically to his mother’s liking.

“Robin’s getting out of work earlier, so we’ve thought we could spend the afternoon at the movies. It’ll be a surprise for Roland.”

At the mention of the little boy, Henry’s face lit up. He was more than willing to give that treat to the child. He knew that, whereas Roland loved watching movies, he had not been at the cinema yet —and neither had Zelena.

“Okay, then. I’ll go to put on some shoes,” he agreed, finally getting up and going upstairs.

Regina was going to follow him out of the room, but stopped short when she realised she was the only one.

“Aren’t you going to put on some shoes, too?” she asked her sister.

The only sign Zelena gave of not having expected the question was a fleeting second of confusion. Then, she kept picking up the controllers to put them back into their place. She did not even have the gall to look Regina in the eye before answering. She did force a smile, even though she should already know better than to believe the brunette would not see right through it.

“Oh. No, I... I wouldn’t want to intrude on your day out with the boys.”

Regina scoffed loudly, making sure the redhead knew what she thought of her words. She came up to her and caught her wrist, forcing the stubborn woman to look at her.

“I promise we’ll pick some funny movie. You won’t get bored,” she said, misunderstanding the source of her reluctance on purpose. “Now, go. Put on some shoes. And they’d better not be trainers again.”

“Regina...” Her weak protest was not for the last line.

The brunette knew it was no triviality for her sister, but she was feeling very light-hearted at present and, thus, unwilling to let anything ruin her mood. She just wanted to go out and have some fun and pretend for a moment they did not all carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. At the very least, this one conversation would not be turned into a heavily emotional talk.

Besides, Zelena had not ever been at the cinema, either. Regina also wanted to give this to her sister. She deserved to feel just as light-hearted for once.

“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want you there. You know that. C’mon.”

Zelena held her gaze for a bit longer. It was difficult to pinpoint one feeling in her expression. Finally, she ran her tongue across her lips and nodded. Turning around without a word, she quickly climbed up the stairs as if she were afraid of regretting her decision.

Well, it was going to be fun.

* * *

Henry showed up at her open door as she finished putting on her high heels.

“Ready?” he asked, smiling at her.

“Almost,” Zelena answered, smiling back at him tightly.

“Something wrong?” he asked when he noticed the lack of enthusiasm in his aunt.

“No, of course not. Come on,” she said, getting up briskly to erase the frown from his face. The last thing she wanted to do was to worry her nephew.

As they got out of her bedroom, he caught her hand.

“You’re gonna love going to the movies, Aunt Zelena,” he said, giving her hand a brief squeeze. It actually helped to calm her nerves and she squeezed back, smiling a little more freely.

She did not even know why she had become nervous all of a sudden. Perhaps it was because Regina’s happiness had been so plainly written on her face when she walked in that thinking it could include her was still terrifying. Her sister was right in ignoring her doubts, though. She was being silly.

They walked to the cinema, meeting the Locksleys halfway to it. As always, Roland was happy to see her, although right away he struck conversation with Henry, since the older boy began to ramble about how badly he wanted to watch a certain film —why did Regina say he got that drama from her? His antics were obviously a reflection of his brunette mother’s. He was clearly enjoying Roland’s hopeful excitement that they would watch it on TV some day, since the little Locksley had no idea that they were on their way to the cinema. It was such a cute sight. Her sister was as usual holding hands with her thief, but she did not let Zelena feel out of place at any moment, always keeping her close and engaged in the conversation. The feeling of having them all in her life now was heartwarming. Gods, she was actually becoming a cheesy idiot.

When they reached the cinema, Roland did not even know how to react. He was gaping, his eyes wide open looking at everywhere. It seemed it could not become any cuter, until Robin and Regina went to the ticket window, right away starting to argue about who should pay —“It was my idea, m’lady.” “This is my treat and Henry’s, _thief_.”—, and Roland approached her and latched onto her hand.

“You think it’s amazing, too, Zelena?” he asked, his voice full of awe, even though they had yet to enter the main hall.

“Yes. Yes, I do, Roland,” she assured him, squeezing his hand and smiling down at him. The child only clung harder in response.

At last, the adults and Henry came back with their tickets and they entered the cinema. Immediately, a powerful smell reached them. Zelena did not have the faintest idea what it was, but it smelt like heaven. Whatever sort of meal it was, it had to be _good_. It seemed to come from a huge glass machine full of something white. It was located behind a counter, where people were asking for strange vases with straws and boxes with plenty of the white thing.

It made her mouth water and she wet her lips without even realising. Swallowing to get a grip on herself, she did not dare ask, though. She was afraid it could be misunderstood as her asking for it. It did not matter what Regina said, she truly did not want to impose on them.

Suddenly, Roland, who had still been clinging to her hand, let her go and ran to Henry.

“What’s that, Henry? I love how it smells!”

“It smells pretty amazing, huh?” he agreed. “It’s called popcorn and it tastes just as good.”

Neither of the children —nor Zelena— had time to give another longing look at the popcorn before Regina spoke.

“Come on, let’s buy a giant bucket so we can all eat.”

The beaming smiles the boys sent in her direction were immediate. She ended up buying two: one for the children and another one for the three of them.

They stepped into a dark room. Despite the chatter of the people already there, in Zelena’s opinion the atmosphere was somewhat solemn, with the huge white screen standing out among the shadows of the room. They took their assigned seats —and why had no one told her they were so comfortable?— and she sat between Henry and Regina. The brunette handed over the popcorn first to Robin, who was to her right, and then to Zelena.

“It really tastes delicious,” agreed Robin, clearly marvelled, as Zelena put some of it in her mouth.

Its strong flavour invaded her mouth right away and she could barely bite back a pleased moan. Of course Regina noticed it, though, and she turned her head to her left, smirking.

“So, what do you think, sis?”

Zelena blushed. She was thankful all the lights were already off and it was surely dark enough that her sister could not see it.

“It’s palatable,” she muttered, snatching another fist full of popcorn before handing the bucket over to the brunette.

“Sure,” Regina whispered back just as the screen lit up and animated characters began to show up. The faint, moving light of the film illuminated her face and Zelena thought her younger sister was smiling, smug and amused in equal measure.

* * *

Later that night, already in bed with her head resting on Robin’s chest, Regina could not stop thinking about the great time they had had at the movies. The bond Henry and Roland had built got stronger every day and it warmed her heart immensely. On the other hand, her sister’s face had been ridiculously cute when she had tried popcorn for the first time. The brunette made a mental note to let her know it could be made at home as well.

They were not the most conventional family, but they were hers and it was perfect no matter how rocky the beginning had been.

* * *

**Part II. At Home**

Since Henry had told her popcorn could be made at home, Zelena had wanted to try it. According to the boy, it was very easy. You just needed to put the popcorn paper bag in the microwave and set it for some minutes. He had even showed her where they kept it, but they had had no time to make it that day.

Now, Zelena had nothing better to do: Regina was taking a shower upstairs and Henry was out. She lingered at the kitchen door. Even though she believed she had already mastered the microwave, she was a bit reluctant to try this on her own. Popcorn was a weird snack —not only it could be made either in the microwave at home or in big machines at the cinema, but it also seemed specifically designed for eating while watching movies, despite not being the most silent snack.

“Oh, bloody hell,” she muttered under her breath, annoyed with herself.

She had faced horrible things in her past and there she was now, second-guessing herself on making popcorn in the microwave. She knew how the appliance worked and Henry had not said she needed to do anything else besides putting the bag inside.

Feeling the need to project confidence despite being alone in the kitchen, she strode to the cupboard and took out the popcorn box. Then, she picked up one of the bags and removed the plastic wrapper. She was slightly confused by how flat it was. It might expand as pasta did when it was cooked, she pondered. Or maybe it just did not contain much of it. She started to read the instructions, but stopped with an eye roll when it kept saying things like “Remove plastic overwrap,” “Place the bag on the side that says ‘down’ ” and so on.

She took a quick look at the cooking time and, feeling bolder now about what she was doing, she put the bag in the right position, setting it for three minutes. Meanwhile, she turned around and started to look for a bowl. She was wondering what TV series she wanted to watch when she heard the first explosion. Startled, she spun around, but nothing in the kitchen seemed out of place. The second ‘pop’ was heard a moment later and she discovered the sound was coming from the working microwave.

She ran to it, not knowing what to do. She should stop it, she realised. She reached out to turn the timer to zero when several more explosions took place at the same time. She retracted her hand quickly, taking a small step back. To her horror, the ‘pops’ were becoming louder and more and more frequent. Not knowing what else to do, she turned around and got out of the kitchen, running upstairs as fast as she could.

She reached the bathroom breathless and started pounding on the door. The redhead could hear the water stop running and, a second later, her sister’s voice.

“I’m in the shower! Can’t it wait? What’s going on?”

She sounded annoyed, but Zelena was too scared to care.

“Regina, I need you to come here right now. Please, it— it’s important!” Her voice caught at the end and she tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

Her sister took what seemed like endless seconds to get out. When she opened the door, she looked very annoyed, indeed. Her hair was damp and she was only wearing a bathrobe. Her expression changed at once when she saw Zelena’s face, though.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” she asked, completely stepping out of the bathroom to put her hands on Zelena’s arms. The ginger could not help gripping her arms desperately in return.

“I’m— I’m sorry. I was just... I didn’t mean...” Her eyes were quickly filling with tears and her sister’s face, full of confusion and worry, was not helping. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down a little before going on. She began to tug Regina downstairs as she tried again to explain the situation. “The kitchen, it’s going to explode. I didn’t think... Henry said it was easy. I just put it in the microwave. I don’t know what I’ve done wrong.” In her voice there was only naked honesty and desperation for her sister to understand.

At this, there was no need to keep hurrying Regina along, for she started running to the kitchen as well. When they arrived, it smelt of popcorn, but there was also a faint burning smell and Zelena thought the worst, even though the microwave kept working and the little explosions had almost stopped.

The brunette had come to a halt in the centre of the kitchen and she was very quiet. Almost in a daze, she finally stepped forward and stopped the microwave. Then, as if she could not restrain herself for a single moment longer, she put a hand over her mouth and began laughing —really hard. Zelena was suddenly too baffled to realise she could relax because the kitchen was obviously not going to blow up.

Regina turned to her and, upon seeing her pale disconcerted face, she attempted to stop laughing. She did not manage, though, and between laughs she muttered something that sounded like ‘sorry.’ As her sister kept trying to regain her composure, Zelena started to swift her weight from one foot to another, uncomfortable but also mostly relieved that she had not screwed anything up, apparently. At last, the brunette came closer, smiling but not laughing anymore, and caught her hand gently.

“Popcorn makes those sounds when it’s cooked. Why do you think it’s called like that?”

Surprise and understanding dawned on Zelena’s face right away. And she blushed furiously, too. Taking a step back, she slipped away from Regina’s hold. She felt utterly stupid all of a sudden.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Regina’s face softened even more upon hearing her equally honest and embarrassed words.

“It’s okay, you were scared yourself. Next time, though, may I suggest reading the instructions first? So we can spare ourselves these frights.”

Zelena forced herself to look up and offered a nod and a little smile, although there was still a fierce blush colouring her pale cheeks. Regina came forward and looped an arm through hers, wanting to comfort her somehow.

“So now that we have popcorn ready, we just need something to watch on TV. Why don’t you pick something while I get dressed?”

After getting another affirmative answer, the brunette opened the microwave door. The paper bag had actually got bigger and now it was full of popcorn. Some of it was black, though, and Regina could not help a last retort.

“You’ve burned them, Greenie.”

Zelena did not stop to think about it, she just elbowed her sister.

“Oh, shut up, _Queenie_.”

Grinning they did look alike.


	8. Zelena's Nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set in [Chapter Eighteen](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20466899/chapters/53902096) in _Of Forgiveness and Hope_.

Zelena opened the front door and got in, smiling. It had been a pleasant day so far. People no longer stared when she walked by and she was enjoying her new freedom —the sort that had somewhere to come back to.

Regina was in the kitchen and so, she came in to greet her.

“Hey, are you making dinner?”

Her sister spun around at once and Zelena frowned. She had not meant to startle her, she had just thought her entrance would have been heard. Before she could apologise, though, the brunette spoke.

“What are you doing in my house?”

Her words were rather a growl, low and dangerous. It took Zelena aback and she did not bother to pretend otherwise.

“What are you talking about? I... I live here,” she replied without a second thought.

Her face should have been white enough for her sister to quit her stupid prank. Regina, however, stomped forward in her direction and the redhead could not help taking a step back.

“I don’t know what games you’re playing now, witch, but they’ve come to an end.”

Witch...

Zelena looked into brown eyes and knew she was not looking at her sister. The person in front of her was seeing nothing but the Wicked Witch. It was no prank and this was not the same woman that sat with her in the evenings just because she enjoyed her company.

“Regina, wait,” she begged unintentionally. “Don’t you remember? You brought me to live here. You let me out. Y— You trust me.”

Her desperate plea fell on deaf ears, though. They kept moving —Zelena backwards, Regina forward. Suddenly, they were in the living room.

The brunette let out a sharp laugh. It was the sort the redhead had only heard through a mirror, because neither her sister’s heartbreak in the Enchanted Forest not her bravado during their fights in Storybrooke sounded quite like that. Nothing could equal the coolness and madness of the Evil Queen’s laughter. It made Zelena’s blood run cold.

“Trust you? Bring you to my home? Who would do such a thing for a monster like you?”

Those questions brought tears to blue eyes and the ginger could do nothing to stop them. She did not reply right away, although her mind was relentlessly working on understanding the situation. She, always so distrustful and wary of others’ intentions, refused to believe for once that her sister would throw those words at her. At last, she gathered up her courage and shook her head.

“Regina would _never_ say that to me,” she stated and, even though her voice trembled, she thought it would have made her sister and her nephew proud. “Who are you?”

“Why, dear, don’t you recognise your beloved sis?”

Zelena felt another emotion —rage— when the impostor used the word that had become just another token of affection for them. Yet, she had no time to act on those feelings. Without a warning, a cold hand plunged into her chest. The redhead stared at the woman, but the pained gasp never crossed her parted lips. Only she —only her own blood— could trespass her protection spell and reach her heart. It was really Regina.

“Did you really delude yourself into believing you deserved any of this?” the brunette whispered, very close to her ear. “A second chance, a family, unconditional love?”

The Evil Queen began to squeeze and Zelena felt an unbearable pain, as if every nerve in her was on fire. She gritted her teeth, trying to let out no sound. She did not want to give anyone the satisfaction to see her hurt —never again. However, the pain ignored her determination and only became worse and worse with each second. She doubled over her waist as tears blurred her vision.

It seemed like it would never end. Maybe that was exactly the punishment she deserved.

“R— Regina, p— pl— please...” She did not know when her mind and her tongue had become allies to beg.

It mattered little, anyway. Her last hope was crushed together with her heart.

“You. Belong. Nowhere.”

Every word was punctuated with a tighter squeeze, until the world became black with the last syllable.

At once, Zelena jumped awake, gasping for air. She found out her heart was still beating in her chest. She was not in pain. And yet, she could not stop crying.


	9. Tech Geek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written sometime around March 2017, prompted by one of those huge WhatsApp updates —if you use this app, please bear in mind old status were text-only. Also, I wrote this before learning WhatsApp isn't actually that popular in the US. Oh, well.  
> It wasn't ever intended for posting anyway, so I don't really have a timeline for it, but let's imagine it happens way after _Of Forgiveness and Hope_ , at a quiet moment of domesticity and sisterhood.

Zelena sighed softly after reading the sentence for the second time. She was enjoying that book and hoped the author had written many more. From time to time, there were words that pulled at her heart and that particular sentence had just left her breathless.

She carefully closed the book and picked up her mobile phone. She was getting used to the several apps Henry had installed and WhatsApp was possibly the one she used most. She liked changing her status every time she fell in love with a quote. It was silly, but she liked to share the beauty she found along the way.

There was something weird when she opened it that time, though. At first, she could not put her finger on it, until she tried to change her status. Buttons were not in the right place and no one seemed to have any status at all —not even she. She swallowed, thinking whether she had touched something she should not have lately. She liked to try and understand new things on her own, even when sometimes the outcome was far from what she had expected —Henry still laughed at her attempt to assign pictures to her contacts, which had resulted in deleting the entire contact list.

She took a deep breath. It could not possibly be worse than that. And her nephew would fix it. The thing was... she had not tried anything lately.

She thought of her magic, still the first thing to come to mind when there were inexplicable problems. Apparently, magic could interfere with electronic devices. She had not experienced it herself, but Robin had confessed her that Regina had once fried her phone, which was in her hand, during an argument with Hook. They said better the phone than the pirate, but well, to each their own.

Had her magic got out of control again? Without her noticing? She had only had it for a few months now and she hardly dared use it. So maybe the answer to both questions was affirmative. That new magic, which still felt so foreign, had indeed broken her phone without her noticing a thing. She tried to calm down, reminding herself that Regina was not going to get angry if that was the case. Thinking rationally had never been her strong suit, though.

She was unable to concentrate on reading any longer, so she kept up her attempts to fix her phone. She even managed to uninstall and reinstall the app. It was useless. Even the contact list on WA had disappeared. Now she was sure she had screwed it up.

She paced up and down and did anything that would spring to mind. She cooked dinner, which was not unusual itself, and she almost burnt it, which was definitely not normal. She just felt utterly restless, even though she knew it was stupid. Still, it was on occasions like this that she realised she was trying so hard to please her new family... So hard that, sometimes, she was afraid it would make their relationship unhealthy.

Zelena closed her eyes. Thinking like that would get her nowhere.

She was burning with impatience to get this business over with and could barely hide her relief when the front door clicked open. She caught the surprised look on Regina’s face when the brunette saw her fidgeting in the foyer.

“Is there something wrong?” She still sounded more surprised than worried, though.

“I... I think I did something wrong. I— I mean, not wrong, wrong. Not wicked wrong, I guess.” She cringed at her own choice of words. Regina’s gaze had finally become worried. “I mean to my phone. I think I broke it.”

“Oh.” For a moment, the brunette seemed to be having trouble recovering her puzzled look. “Is that it? You’ve broken your phone? What happened?”

“I don’t know.” Zelena’s cheeks became hotter when she noticed the desperation in her own voice. She was surely stronger than that, was she not? “The contact list has disappeared from WhatsApp and I can’t see other people’s status.”

“Oh,” Regina repeated, as if she had not managed to grasp the meaning of their conversation yet. “I thought you meant broken like in ‘I’ve thrown it across the room and now it’s broken.’ ”

“What? No! How could I? It cost money, you know.”

Of course Regina knew —it was one of the first gifts she had given her. Zelena hoped she was never so blinded by rage as to throw something like that across the room.

The brunette smiled softly and both her bewilderment and worry faded away completely.

“Well, I don’t know what you’re talking about, to be honest. You know I’ve never cared much for those things. But the app still works, right? You can still get messages to us?” Zelena nodded. “Good. I’m sure Henry will be able to fix it.”

Suddenly, the redhead remembered she had been more impatient to see her nephew than her sister for that very reason.

“Where’s he?” she asked, since the boy had not come with her.

“Don’t you remember he had a sleepover tonight?”

Zelena shook her head. Regina laughed a little —surely at her because of how lost she looked all of a sudden.

“Wait,” the ginger said when her sister was already going upstairs to change out of her day clothes. “Does that mean I won’t know what’s wrong with my phone _until tomorrow_?”

That time, Regina’s laughter was louder —and definitely aimed at her.

* * *

“What the hell is wrong with my phone?!”

“Regina, for heaven’s sake, I was taking a shower. I thought something was wrong!”

“It is! Stupid WhatsApp’s gotten updated on my phone, too, and I can’t make sense of it. What the hell is wrong with these people? Why must they mess up with a perfectly functional application?”

Zelena laughed at her wholeheartedly. Revenge tasted just as sweet a few days later.

“Here, give it to me. I’ll show you, Granny.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this silly thing. Don't hesitate to leave a comment!


	10. Hangover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written sometime around March 2017. Even though most of the series is written in the past tense, I decided to leave this one in its original present tense —likely, it was written on my phone first, so that's why it's in the present tense. Once again, I don't really have a timeline for it, but it takes place after the ending in _Of Forgiveness and Hope_.  
> I hope you enjoyed reading these extra scenes and drop a comment to let me know what you think. Thanks for all the kudos and comments!

They are bored, there is no other explanation for it to happen otherwise. It is Friday night, Henry is with Emma and they have watched a movie already. Regina looks at her from across the couch and smirks. Zelena knows she is up to something.

"Would you care for a drink?"

"Sure," Zelena shrugs.

She gets up to pour it herself, but her sister gets on her feet, too.

"I was thinking of going out," Regina says, somewhat nervously.

"Why? You’ve got enough liquor here."

"Wouldn't it be fun? We could go to the Rabbit Hole, listen to some music, bicker about the townspeople."

Zelena cannot help smiling. And yet, the idea of dressing up at these hours is anything but appealing.

"I don't know, sis..." she answers, hesitantly but also without real conviction.

It is all Regina needs to go to her and hold her hands, tugging slightly.

"Come on, sis. It’ll be fun."

Zelena sighs, but she already knows she will end up complying. She cannot say ‘no’ to those brown eyes that are shining as her sister looks up at her.

Regina puts on an elegant, sexy red dress. The redhead rolls her eyes when she stays in her bedroom to make sure Zelena will actually change into something other than jeans.

She chooses a blouse and a skirt and dresses quickly before Regina can complain any further.

As they get in the Mercedes, she realises how nervous she really feels. She fidgets while she looks out the window. She forces herself to take several deep breaths. Nothing manages to calm her nerves, though, so she decides to break the silence.

"Have you been there since they remembered who you were in the Enchanted Forest?"

The question is out awkwardly, but they are both used to it by now and Regina does not even flinch.

"Just once or twice. We should've called Tink, by the way. Maybe another time?"

Her confidence that there will be another time at all does calm Zelena’s insecurities ever so slightly. She smiles at her and, then, makes some sassy comment and they are bickering even before reaching the bar.

There, people are much less interested in the folks that come in than at Granny's. They enter and, while some turn their heads to look at the former Evil Queen and Wicked Witch, they quickly mind their own business.

The Mills sisters reached the counter and Regina orders a whisky neat for herself. When she turns around, Zelena hesitates.

"Same," she says softly, and it occurs to her what little she knows about the alcohol of this world. She tells the brunette so while they wait for their drinks, chuckling as she feels self-conscious —yet, oddly light-hearted.

"We should fix that," is Regina's firm answer.

Zelena only smiles wider, appreciating her sister's attempt to make everything better. Once upon a time, she mocked Regina saying heroes do not kill. Now, she knows that her little sister is really a hero, even if she does not consider herself as such.

She plays along and they chit-chat as they drink.

Zelena wonders if this is what good people fight for so hard when villains threaten their lives: this chance to enjoy life, to relax and talk about nonsense with your sister while the two of you drink in a bar as carefree youngsters.

Yet, Regina stays true to her word. When they finish their first drink, she orders a couple of vodka shots. And they do not stop there. After making a ridiculous ritual before taking a tequila shot —that has them laughing to tears—, they begin to order shots containing different drinks. Zelena feels light-hearted _and_ light-headed, but she does not want to stop.

She keeps thinking that she has never laughed so much —that she loves her sister's laughter.

"I'm dizzy," she finds herself saying suddenly.

She shakes her head, but it does not improve it at all.

"We should go," Regina replies. Her words are somewhat slurred.

"No, no. I don't want to."

Why do her words sound so whiny?

The brunette smiles, like when Henry refuses to go to sleep even though his eyes keep closing. Or like when she... when she does the same.

At first, Zelena thought Regina was just hypocritical, selfish, condescending. Now, she knows she is incredibly perceptive. The look directed at her is both knowingly and fond.

It used to make her feel uncomfortable and naked, the fact that the person she hated the most knew her so bloody well.

"Hey, Earth to Greenie. Come on."

Regina giggles and Zelena wants to push her and erase that stupid smile. In the end, she just laughs, too.

She opens her mouth to refuse again. However, before she can, the bartender interrupts them and she realises the music has stopped and the place is better lit up. They go out trying to muffle their giggles —after all, the ridiculous idea of having a reputation keeps floating in their minds.

Regina is so obviously in no condition to drive they do not even think about it. They walk home instead. Fresh air makes Zelena feel better as both sisters hold onto each other.

When they reach home, they go to the couch, unwilling to climb up the stairs.

"I want to change into my pyjamas," her sister whines.

They are lying on the couch. Or rather, Zelena is more or less sitting upright and Regina has her head on the redhead’s lap.

"Don't dare do magic," Zelena growls, reading her thoughts. Who knows what misfortune would come of her sister doing magic drunk.

She begins to caress the dark locks. Regina lets out a soft sigh and buries her face further in her.

It does not take long for both of them to drift off to sleep.

Much later, Zelena wakes up because she needs to do something. She just does not know what. She opens her eyes slightly. Everything hurts and feels plainly weird. She feels the urge to get up but, when she moves, something is holding her down by her waist.

There is no room to think any further. She panics.

Gathering all her strength, she gets on her feet and the person that was on her falls to the floor. She does not find her balance in time and ends up falling down as well. She just has a second to look and realise it is Regina whom she has thrown off the couch. Then, nausea comes up and she is unable to stop it.

She throws up all over the floor and, for a moment, she cannot think and cannot breathe. Tears sting in her eyes and she feels a hand on her back.

Zelena flinches and her sister comes closer.

"It's okay, it's okay," Regina repeats again and again, reassuring her.

Eventually, Zelena is able to draw another breath and they help each other on their feet. For now, nausea has receded.

She wants to say 'Sorry,' but another thing comes out.

"I need to go."

She barely looks at her sister as she hurries upstairs.

Shaky legs allow her to reach the bathroom and close the door. She lets herself fall on her knees and shuts her eyes tightly as she grabs the toilet seat. She feels so miserable that she cannot even fathom how she could feel over the moon just a few hours ago.

The next minutes pass in blissful silence, although Zelena cannot really keep track of the time. Eventually, it is broken by a couple of soft knocks on the door. She swallows, knowing who it is.

"Zelena, are you okay? Can I come in?"

She tries to get up, but she cannot muster her strength. Thus, she remains silent, hesitant about what she wants to happen next.

Despite her lack of answer, Regina opens a crack and peeks in. When she sees the redhead on the floor, she comes in right away and crouches down next to her. Soon, there are arms surrounding her and tears threaten to make another appearance.

"I'm sorry," she finally says, her voice shaking.

"It's okay. How are you feeling?"

Her eyes well up and tears spill out.

"I'm sorry," she repeats anyway, because she cannot bear so much kindness. She is more used to it by now, but embarrassment is registering and she is still unable to think straight.

Regina shakes her head and leans on her.

"Do you want to try to get up?"

Zelena nods, closing her eyes.

They reach her bed and Regina puts back the blankets and tells her to rest for a little while longer. She drinks the water her sister has brought earnestly and, then, remembers something.

"I'm fine," she assures, more composed. "I'll go and clean up the mess in the living room."

"I already took care of it." She opens her mouth to protest, but Regina does not give her the chance. "Used magic, no big deal. And, anyway, it's really okay. It isn't the kind of thing you can't help, sis."

Her cheeks grow hotter and she cannot stand Regina's eyes any longer. She looks away and her grip on the glass tightens.

"I'm really sorry. It won't happen again."

"We'll try to be more careful next time," the brunette agrees, sitting next to her on the bed. "But last night was fun, wasn't it?"

Zelena tugs the corners of her mouth tightly in response to the small, albeit honest, smile. She nods, because she had a really good time but that is not the point.

"Is there anything else that's bothering you?" Regina's hand is on her arm again, steady and warm.

"Being hangover doesn't bring me the best memories." Zelena takes a deep breath and tries to explain herself better. "He was usually drunk or hangover and, for a long time, I couldn't even stand the smell of alcohol. Until I told myself to get over it because it was utterly ridiculous." Another deep breath. "Last night, I didn't even think about it. But this morning... It's just that everything’s gone downhill from the moment I panicked. And I feel like such a nuisance, sis. Sorry, I never... I n- never meant t- to be l- li-like him."

A sob comes out right then and she cannot keep talking. She has nothing else to say, anyway. Her sister takes the glass from her and hugs her tightly. Zelena keeps crying in her arms —another thing she is becoming used to. It helps, because pain suddenly hurts a lot less.

"You are _nothing_ like him, sis," Regina says, fiercely. She does not sound like a little sister, but Zelena cannot bring herself to care right now. "Nothing like him or wicked or whatever he told you. You're my sister, Zelena. You're family."

"Thanks." The ginger sighs, enjoying their embrace. She also enjoys Regina's comforting words and, so far, the brunette does not seem to get tired of saying them. "I really had fun last night," she finally dares say, because suddenly she worries Regina may not bring her along if she thinks Zelena does not want to do it again. She wants, though, she really does. She is tired of letting the past shape her future.

"I'm glad," Regina replies and her smile is as bright as ever. "Remember, next time we have to invite Tink. Now, we'd better take a nap. We can go with Henry for ice-cream later this afternoon."

Zelena sits upright in order to see her sister’s face. She hopes to convey better her thanks through a smile.


End file.
